Beau's Weather Blog

Let's Talk Weather...

December 01, 2007

A major winter storm is impacting the Central United States
today. Ice storm warnings have been issued from Kansas into
Illinois. Winter storm watches and warnings extend from Colorado
all the way to New York and into Canada. Heavy icing is likely
across much of Iowa and Illinois. Snow is expected in Minnesota
and Wisconsin. Significant ice damage is likely from this winter
storm.

Ice Storm

Across Western Kentucky we can expect a chance of showers and
thunderstorms into Sunday Night. A few locally heavy showers will
be possible as the front approaches. Severe weather appears to be
unlikely. It is not out of the question for there to be a few
isolated reports of wind damage across portions of Missouri and
Illinois...mainly from thunderstorms that form near the cold front on
Sunday Afternoon.

December 03, 2007

After a stormy Sunday much calmer weather has settled into the
region. Heavy rain and thunderstorms raced across the Tri-State
Region on Sunday Afternoon. Rainfall amounts of 1/2" to over 1"
were reported across the entire region. Some gusty winds
accompanied the heavy storms. No warnings were issued in the
Paducah forecast area. There were reports of wind damage in South
central and East Central Missouri.

Areas to the north continued to clear up from Saturday's Ice Storm.
Heavy icing was reported across portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Illinois. Power lines and poles were reported down
over a number of counties. Heaviest hit areas appeared to be in
Iowa where up to 1/2"+ of freezing rain accumulated.

A clipper system will spread light to moderate snow across portions
of the Ohio Valley later this week. Some areas will pick up their
first measurable snowfall. It appears that our region will miss
out, again, on the snow. Perhaps next time!

Snowfall Forecast - 18z NAM

Presentations from August High Plains AMS Conference Now Online

December 06, 2007

A winter storm will move across the Missouri and Ohio Valleys later
today and into tonight. A light mix of snow, sleet, and freezing
rain will spread across the Central and Northern portions of the Paducah
Forecast Area. Accumulations of 1-2" are expected. Areas to
the south of Paducah should receive a mixture of rain, sleet, and snow.
Minor accumulations are possible.

Heavier snow and frozen precipitation will fall across areas to the
north of our region. Several inches of snow will be possible by
tomorrow morning. BITTER cold air covers much of the Northern
United States. Temperatures in the single digits have been common
over the last few days.

4 p.m. Weather Radar

December 07, 2007

A mixture of snow, sleet, and rain fell across the region
overnight. No significant accumulations were reported.

A major winter storm will move into the Central United States over
the upcoming weekend. Heavy ice accumulations are possible across
areas from Oklahoma and Kansas into Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and
Wisconsin. Snow and sleet will also be possible in the above
mentioned areas into Ontario. Major power outages are possible
across a wide swatch of the Missouri Valley and Southern Plains.

Rain...some heavy, will fall across the Tri-State Region of
Southern Illinois, Southeast Missouri, and Western Kentucky.
Rainfall amounts in excess of 2 inches are possible across the region.

December 09, 2007

A major ice storm is raking portions of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri,
Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Heavy snow,
sleet, and freezing rain with strong thunderstorms are impacting a
widespread area. Ice accumulations of over 1" have been reported
in a number of locations from Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.
Accumulations of pure ice of over 1/2" have been reported in Illinois
and Indiana. Numerous towns and cities are without power this
morning. Widespread tree damage is also being reported. It
appears that this prolonged winter storm event will continue into
TUESDAY. Some incredible ice accumulations are possible across the
Southern Plains and Missouri Valley.

Hail was reported last night in portions of Kansas and Missouri
with the freezing rain and thunderstorms. Numerous strong
thunderstorms developed in the below freezing temperatures. An
extremely dynamic storm system.

HISTORIC ICE STORM UNDERWAY TONIGHT...

A major ice storm is impacting a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma,
Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and into the Lakes. Heavy
snow, sleet, and severe ice accumulations are being reported over a wide
area. 1-2" of pure ice is likely or has already fallen across
portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. SEVERE power line
damage and tree damage is being reported. Tens of thousands of
people are without power. This is a catastrophic event for
portions of the above mentioned states.

December 10, 2007

Incredible icing has been reported across a large portion of the
Central United States. This ice storm has been ongoing since early
weekend. Some areas of Oklahoma City have been devastated by more
than 1.5" of ice. Thousands of trees have been damaged.
Power lines and poles have been downed. More than 13 people have
been killed so far. This is one of the top ice storms ever for
Oklahoma City according to the power company.

Severe winter weather is going to continue through Wednesday across
a large portion of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois,
and Wisconsin. State of Emergencies have been declared across a
large portion of Oklahoma and Missouri.

Wunderground Photo from someone in Oklahoma City

Wunderground Photo from someone in Oklahoma City

Wunderground Photo from someone in Oklahoma City

Heavy rain fell overnight across Western Kentucky. Most areas
picked up between 1-3" of rain. The Paducah, National Weather
Service Office issued advisories for small streams and urban areas.

On another note, there could be a significant winter storm this
weekend across portions of the Ohio and Tennessee Valley. A
southerly storm track could spread snow across portions of our region.
Still too early to make a call on this potential winter storm.
Stay tuned.

December 11, 2007

Another significant ice storm is moving across portions of the
Midwest this morning. Areas from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan are
experiencing a mixture of wintery precipitation. Hundreds of
thousands of people are currently without power from the recent streak
of ice storms. It appears additional winter weather will move
through the hard hit areas over the next 48 hours.

A strong winter storm is now expected to develop across the
Southern United States this coming weekend. This storm could
spread snow across the Tri-State Region of Western Kentucky, Southeast
Missouri, and Southern Illinois. Currently the models are showing
several inches of snow. The storm will then move northeast and
rapidly deepen into a Nor-easter. Portions of the Northeast United
States could experience a powerful winter storm later this weekend.
Stay tuned.

Some newspaper headlines from this morning...Tulsa, Oklahoma
and Oklahoma City.

December 13, 2007

Moderate rain fell overnight across this entire region. Most
counties in the KPAH Forecast Area picked up 1-3" of rainfall over the
past few days. A lot of ponding of water is being experienced.
Rivers and streams are nearing bankful. This could become a major
concern if additional heavy rain falls this weekend.

All eyes are turning towards the Southwest United States. A
MAJOR storm system is developing that will spread heavy snow and rain
across the Central United States. At this time I am expecting 1-3
inches of snow across Western Kentucky. Heavier amounts will
likely fall across portions of Missouri and Illinois. It is still
a bit early to make final calls. A slight change in the path of
the storm will make all the difference.

Some models are indicated 10"+ across portions of Missouri and
Southern Illinois. This would continue into Indiana and Ohio.
This could be a major winter storm for some areas. Travel will
likely become hazardous across a large area from the Southern Plains
into the Northeast United States.

December 14, 2007

Another day and another snowfall bust for the KPAH Region. We
just can't buy snow anymore. It appears that a major winter storm
will sweep across the Southern Plains into the Ohio Valley over the next
48 hours. Heavy rain is likely across Western Kentucky. Some
flooding will be possible. A light coating of snow may fall behind
the surface low on Saturday Night.

Meanwhile, in the hard hit areas of OK/KS/MO/IL - they will be
receiving yet another winter storm. Widespread 3-6" snowfall
amounts with isolated heavier totals will occur over the next 48 hours.

December 15, 2007

Heavy rains have caused flooding across Western Kentucky this
morning. Rainfall totals of 1-2" have been reported with some
areas receiving 3". Flooding of roadways and fields have been
reported across many counties. All of Western Kentucky is under a
flood warning until 4:30 p.m.

Few photos I took from the Mayfield area.

The winter storm will push east and north tonight. Blizzard
conditions are expected across portions of Indiana, Michigan, and into
Ontario. Environmental Canada is calling for near record snowfall
totals across portions of Southern Ontario. Strong winds will
cause severe blowing and drifting. Winter is here!

Long range forecast...no end in sight for the winter storm train.
Multiple major winter storms are forecast to impact the Midwest and Ohio
Valley through the end of the month. One storm in particular next
weekend could be particularly strong. Severe thunderstorm outbreak
is possible across the Southlands. Heavy rain through our
region...heavy snow to our north and west. Stay tuned.

Beautiful image of today's storm

December 16, 2007

A dusting of snow fell overnight in Paducah. Mayfield had
some flurries and just a hint of snow on the ground. Southern
Illinois received 1-3" of the white gold. Heavy snow continues
today across Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ontario and then
east/northeast from there. Some areas will pick up more than a
foot. Blizzard warnings were issued for portions of Michigan.

December 18, 2007

Another quiet day in store for the Tri-State Region. A much
needed break from the recent heavy rains. The next storm system
that will impact the region will occur over the upcoming weekend.
A deep low will develop over the Southern Plains and move into the Ohio
Valley. The exact track of this system is still up for grabs.
Current thinking is that the region will experience moderate to heavy
rainfall and perhaps some snow on the backside of the storm. A
further south track, though, could provide enough cold air for
significant snowfall somewhere near the Paducah forecast area.

Another storm during the week of Christmas will provide the next
opportunity for rain and snow to the entire region. This appears
to be a day after Christmas event. Stay tuned.

December 19, 2007

A chilly morning across Western Kentucky. Nothing out of the
ordinary though. It looks like the next significant storm system
will pull into the region this weekend. Some precip is expected
before that time as well. A weak storm will push through the
region on Thursday. Scattered thunderstorms are even possible across
the southern portion of the region.

A much larger storm is expected this weekend. Heavier rains
are once again possible. Some of the models are also hinting at a
snow/rain event for Christmas Day. Way too early to determine if
they are valid or not. Ensembles point against the idea We
can cross our fingers for some snow!

December 22-23, 2007

A strong storm system will move through the Tri-State Region later
this afternoon and tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will develop
ahead of the cold front. A few strong storms, with high winds,
will be possible. The Storm Prediction Center has placed us in a
slight risk for severe weather later today and this evening.

Blizzard conditions are expected across Kansas today. A
blizzard warning has been issued for south central Kansas. Heavy
thundersnow was reported across Eastern Kansas at 11 a.m. Winter
storms conditions are expected from Kansas into Wisconsin.
Snowfall amounts of 2-4 inches will be commonplace. High winds
will cause severe blowing and drifting snow.

EVENING UPDATE...

A high wind event is underway tonight across the Tri-State
Region. A powerful storm system is sweeping across the Missouri and
Ohio Valleys. Winds of over 50 mph have been reported at the Paducah,
Kentucky, NWS Office. Widespread 45-50 mph wind gusts have been
reported across Western Kentucky. Winds have gusted over 60 mph in
Illinois. The cause of this high wind event is a strong area of low
pressure that is moving through the Chicago area. The pressure reading
was near 1001mb as the low passed St Louis. The low then rapidly
deepened to 993mb as the low approached Chicago. This is a very sharp
drop in pressure. This is causing the high winds.

11 p.m. maps showing the intense storm system.

Sunday Morning Update...

Widespread wind damage has been reported across Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, and Kentucky. Numerous trees and power lines/poles have
been reportedly down by winds of over 60 mph. Chicago Midway
reported gusts to near 70 mph. A gust of 88 mph was reported on
the shoreline of Chicago. Roofs were blown off of homes in parts
of Central and Northern Illinois. The pressure gradient map this
morning shows the intense area of low pressure over Wisconsin and
Michigan. The reading at 10 a.m. was 983 mb.

McCracken County, Kentucky, reported wind damage throughout the
county. Trees were downed and at least one home was damaged.
Winds gusted between 50-60 mph throughout the county.

TREES AND
LIMBS DOWN ACROSS THE COUNTY...INCLUDING TREE
ON HOUSE ON
4TH ST...TREES DOWN ON CLARKLINE RD AND
HARDMONEY RD.
MOST DAMAGE OCCURRED BETWEEN 11 PM AND
MIDNIGHT.

Pressure readings in Wisconsin have dipped below 29.90mb.
Blizzard conditions are being reported across portions of Wisconsin,
Minnesota, and into Canada. Widespread wind gusts over 40 mph are also
being recorded. Severe blowing and drifting snow is occurring with
this storm system.

All
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